creative technology

DIY Ironman arc reactor

A personal project done purely for fun. I admire the Tony Stark / Ironman character. He is smart, capable, brave and has a wry sense of humour. So in typical geek fashion, I made my own version of the arc reactor that powers Ironman’s suit and keeps Stark alive. I laser cut the discs and used silver and copper cardboard that to create the metal look. The raw materials and cost of production is around S$50. It takes a few hours to make one.

I got visual references online and drew an idea sketch.

The laser cut drawing. I laser cut the metallic paper for the centre metal piece which is then stuck onto the translucent acrylic disc. The disc has slots for the copper paper strips to be inserted.

The inside view. You can see the LED circle light I used which runs on 12V. You can see the silvery paper glued on top and the copper paper strips. There are screws and spacers as well. I improvised using double sided tape and hot glue in some places.

Me wearing it without a shirt on, exposing the ugly “bra” harness and wire. More pictures of the completed product can be found here.